Annette Budge, McInnis Looby and Kavin Smith, and Duncan Newby, Jeff Payne and Harry Patchett lived up to expectations when they won their respective divisions in the Bank of Bermuda Triathlon yesterday at the former Naval Base in St. George's.

The race started and finished in sunshine, with a torrential downpour inbetween making riding especially challenging for the cyclists.

De Ste Croix and Palmer were virtually unchallenged in the male and female individual categories, with the 27-year-old Palmer actually leading de Ste Croix after the swim, having emerged from the water sixth overall.

The one-mile swim was won by top swimmer Stephen Fahy in 19.44, with junior Ronald Cowen second in 20 minutes flat, as Fahy gave his team-mates Newton Adcock and Errol Cormack the perfect start.

However, Adcock, as expected, lost ground in the 15-mile cycle, finishing 25th overall, leaving Cormack with about two minutes to make up in the six-mile run.

"I haven't swum in a race like this in two years,'' said Fahy. "The last time I did the triathlon was the year before last. The main thing was that it was pretty calm out there. It's a lot of hard work and I felt it on the last leg.'' Palmer, determined to make up for last weekend's disappointment when she had to withdraw from the ITU triathlon because of bike problems, came prepared this time, with new inner tubes and tyres on her bike.

"The swim was nice and calm and the course was well marked, so I didn't go off course,'' said Palmer.

"The bike ride was challenging at times, there were some strong gusts. I took it cautiously on the turns, didn't want to take too many chances, and on the run I decided to start off fairly easy just to get into it, but I couldn't pick it up after that.

'' De Ste Croix eventually passed Palmer on the last bike lap on his way to eighth overall behind seven teams, while Palmer was 16th overall. Melanie Claude was the second female finisher.

"I went out hard on the swim, paced the cycle just to take the lead off Mike (Michel Bouchard) and stayed ahead of him in the run,'' said de Ste Croix of his strategy after trailing Bouchard.

"You never know what to expect. I was very pleased just to get out there and finish.'' Jeremy Ball, a master (over 40), was second individual male, two places behind Palmer overall and seven minutes behind de Ste Croix's winning time of 1:48.12. Palmer finished in 1:55.14 and Ball in 1:56.35.

The winning open team of Budge, Looby and Kavin Smith never looked back after Budge was out of the water ninth overall. Looby, a late replacement for the unavailable Clarkie Tear, didn't disappoint his team-mates as Smith was well placed for the run.

"Today for me it was excellent, I prefer the bad weather,'' said Looby who, like Smith, has had the advantage of competing overseas lately. "With most people it (rain) takes their aggressiveness away but I would rather this than the heat.

"With all the climbing I have been doing this year I probably would not have finished so good if it had been flat.

"I didn't know Jeff (Payne) was in front of me until it was two laps to go. I started to catch him and on the last I probably made up 15 seconds. I paced myself and thought I would ride conservative because I thought I was in front, but then when I realised he was in front of me I started to ride a little harder.'' Admitted Smith: "It was a good team effort from Annette and McInnis Looby who was a last minute fill-in, so I give my thanks to him.

"On the first lap I had a pretty good lead and I extended it on the second lap. The second lap felt better once I got warmed up, especially with that hill in the centre. That tends to tighten up the muscles a lot and I didn't want to back off on the hills. I tried to hold a good pace regardless.

'' Both Brett Forgesson and masters runner Patchett found Smith's pace too much as he blazed a hot trial to take the lead early into the run.

Forgesson managed to pass Patchett to assure that his team of Mary Hopkins and Tim Palmer finished second overall while Patchett, Newby and Payne were third.

Said Forgesson: "Harry (Patchett) had about a minute lead and I concentrated on trying to pull him back on the first lap. I got him just before the end of the first lap. Kevin was stretching further and further ahead and I couldn't even see him by the end. I think it was a good race, all things considered.'' Patchett was pleased to make it three masters wins in a row as he and team-mates Newby and Payne threatened briefly to take first place overall.

"Kavin went by me in the first quarter of a mile and Brett caught me after about two miles and I was on my own more or less,'' said Patchett.

"I was happy. The conditions were uncomfortable but my team-mates made it all possible. This is a hat-trick and we moved up one place, we were fourth overall last year and the year before that we were fifth overall so we have jumped a position each year.'' The junior team category was won by Troake, Kris Hedges and Calvert Lee while the family team title went to Kim and Richard Mason and Rod Allen. Jamie Jared, Anne Spurling and Karen Adams were the women's team winners.

Beau Franklin, Granville Gibbons and Jon Brunson of the Bank of Butterfield took company team honours.

Photos by Tamell Simons WINNING SMILES -- Individual triathlon champions Neil de Ste. Croix and Shona Palmer congratulate each other after their victories yesterday.

ANXIOUS WAIT -- Team cyclists wait for their swimmers to finish the first leg of yesterday's race.

TOUGH GOING -- Torrential rain made conditions treacherous for the cyclists during yesterday's triathlon.